Historical

President James A. Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881), a Cleveland, Ohio native, briefly served as the 20th President of the United States for six months from March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881. Tragically, a disgruntled office seeker shot President Garfield on July 2, 1881, officially ending in his painful death by assassination two months later, on September 19, 1881.

To honor their father, the Garfield Building was officially built by two of Garfield’s sons beginning in 1896 and completed in 1898. The official architect was Henry Ives Cobb (August 19, 1859 – March 27, 1931), whose designs reflected the Romanesque Revival and Victorian Gothic styles. The Garfield Building is a 150-foot, 13 story high-rise on the corner of Euclid Avenue and E. 6th Street.

In 1921, National City Bank, founded in 1845 in Cleveland, moved into the renovated Garfield Building and renamed it the National City Bank Building.

Prior to 1921, National City Bank was historically founded as The City Bank of Cleveland on May 17, 1845, originally opening on Superior St. In the 1850s, it was reorganized as the National City Bank of Cleveland, increasing to $200,000 in capital by 1865. The bank continued growing steadily, moving to another location on Superior Ave. in 1888, and then to larger quarters on E. 6th St. in 1913.

National City Bank chiefly engaged in commercial banking, and grew rapidly during World War I through war-industry financing. In 1921, it moved into the renovated Garfield Building at E. 6th St. and Euclid Ave. and renamed it the National City Bank Building.

National City Bank continued to flourish and expanded its services during the prosperous 1920’s, even surviving the 1930’s Great Depression in good financial shape. The Great Depression brought on several famous bank robberies.One of the most significant public photos includes the National City Bank robbery on May 1, 1932.

As the headquarters of NatCity Investments, which went bankrupt in the 2008 financial meltdown on Wall Street, National City Bank ended its 87-year-old run and closed.

In early 2015, Cleveland’s Millennia Companies purchased the Garfield Building and converted the building’s old offices into 123 apartment units and retail space. In 2017, the opulent old bank at 623 Euclid Avenue has been restored and transformed into the one-of-a-kind Marble Room Steak and Raw Bar. Significantly, the bank’s lower level vaults, once some of the largest in the country, have been updated and re-decorated to create an ultra-exclusive private party space. Bank executives’ offices have been converted to dining boardrooms and cocktail lounges available for private dining and parties. Antique fixtures and gilded tiles have been lovingly restored and are historic focal points of the new, eclectic décor. New features, like an all-glass wine cellar above the bar, house hundreds of fine wines from around the world. A sushi and raw bar proudly displays the freshest seafood. Fabrics, acoustic panels, soft seating, and carpeting have all been carefully selected and installed to quiet the grand, marble-pillared space and provide dining comfort. Photographic art by renowned fashion and portrait artist, Greg Lotus, add an unexpected, playful element to the seriousness of this grand, architectural gem.

Marble Room Steak and Raw Bar is now proud to take part in Cleveland’s bright “new” history. You are welcome to visit the familiar, yet unexpected, dining experience at Marble Room.